Republican Bill Berrien dropped out of the governor’s race this afternoon, citing media reports detailing how he had followed sexually explicit social media accounts.
Berrien initially dismissed reports on the social media posts as “stupid articles I read years ago.” But he abruptly canceled a planned appearance at a Manitowoc County GOP event last night.
In today’s statement, Berrien tried to downplay the accounts he followed, saying they were among the 5,000 he followed across many platforms. He called it, “Nothing illegal, nothing unethical and nothing immoral. Just reading.”
“Wouldn’t you want your political and business leaders (and all of society, frankly) to be widely read and thoughtful and aware of different perspectives and ideas?” Berrien said. “Yet, when a supposedly major metropolitan newspaper condemns someone for reading, we have ourselves a problem.”’
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Berrien’s departure comes on the heels of U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, announcing his bid for the office. Washington County Exec Josh Schoemann is also seeking the GOP nomination, while Andy Manske, a 26-year-old medical service tech, has also filed to run.
Berrien said he will use leftover funds from his Never Out Of The Fight PAC to help support Republicans in Wisconsin but otherwise is returning to the private sector.
